Rapper Tommy Cash swaps the stage for Paris catwalk

Paris (AFP) – The outrageous post-Soviet rapper and conceptual artist Tommy Cash — best known for his wacky hits “Leave Me Alone” and “Winaloto” — made his catwalk debut Thursday as a model in Rick Owens’ dramatically apocalyptic outdoor Paris show.

The Estonian, who has built up a huge following thanks to his videos which are often dubbed “the craziest on YouTube”, also supplied the music for the spectacular show — an instrumental version of “Pussy Money Weed”.

The dystopian atmosphere of the song — the video of which features disabled dancers — mirrored Owens’ avant-garde clothes which often have an end of days feel.

Fashion’s permanent rebel transformed the courtyard of the Palais de Tokyo art museum in the French capital into a vast open air theatre, with guests given face masks to protect them from clouds of swirling red, blue and yellow smoke.

Cash, 26, sporting his trademark raffish pencil moustache, appeared midway throught the show wearing a “scaffolded T-shirt” worn with “snap away trousers in silk gazar and nylon satin”.

He also wore one of Owens’ leather “cargo” saddlebags, worn around the waist like a belt.

Asked by AFP if he might have a future as a model, the singer who once she he wanted to be “Kanye East” — a reference to the US rapper and pop culture guru Kanye West —  winked and gave the thumbs up.

American rapper ASAP Rocky was also in the audience for the show.

– Birkenstock moonboots –

The influential Owens is one of fashion’s true originals. The Californian’s end-of-the-world aesthetic often pushes the limits of wearability, but it has not stopped Kim Kardashian among others from wearing his clothes and separates.

For his spring summer collection, the designer sent out a series of off-the-wall tent coats — complete with aluminium poles — which might be useful one day if men ever fall pregnant.

The nylon constructivist ponchos, as he preferred to call them, may not be coming to a high street near you for some time to come, but several other of Owens’ creations had potential.

The snap away trousers worn by Cash and other models with their studded flapping chaps had a winning cowboy swagger, while the moonboot hiking boots he designed with Birkenstock also had legs.

But the biggest head-turner was a series of striking coats and jackets the designer debuted made with cut up segments of silk crepe and gazar, which brought to mind both futurist animal armour and stained glass windows.